Bear spray safety
 

Hi,

This morning we had an accidental discharge of a bear spray canister in our rv.

Turns out the safety clip had fallen off, the discharge was for a second and did not get anyone in the face but did blast our ultra leather sofa. I did get some on my arm which stings a lot.

I spoke to the bear spray company and the coach is airing out. Advice was to leave any clothes and blankets to one side and wash as normal in 4-5 days. The discharged canister is to be properly disposed

In future I will.tranaport canisters in a padded case in a storage bay and inspect the safety clip

After we had a moose 8 feet from trailer. Mine are hanging next to door.

For the same reason we keep ours near the door also. I am going to put them in the case just for transport.

Thanks for the warning. Too valuable to not have, so information on safe use, storage and clean-up is appreciated.

Thanks for the heads-up! The same advice could be applied to fire extinguishers. If the tiny plastic restrainer breaks the pin can come out and accidentally discharge if handled. :eek:

Most definitely.

I just got in to the coach and cleaned the sofa. Advice was to use dish soap and cold water, I then rinsed off off with cold water. I dont think it strained it. Ultra leather cleans up.

I had bot thought about the fire extinguishers, thanks for bringing it up Joe.

Would not think that a Fire extinguisher is so likely to be discharged by mistake. They should be stored in a bracket with a clamp to hold the extinguisher securely in place. Often the bracket is in a nook that is out of the way and less likely to be hooked by a strap or impacted in some way that would discharge it.

The risk is also related to the type of extinguisher. Powder makes a mess when used, but as an escape tool, who cares. As a random event that is an accidental release, one of the Haylon replacement gas type extinguishers results in a much better outcome. If concerned with the safety of your storage location, an investment in a better extinguisher might be advised. Certainly upgrading to a bigger extinguisher has value to consider in the review.